Saturday, 19 May 2012

Potentially contaminated RAF Sites in Scotland.

Whilst there has been considerable publicity about radioactive
contamination other contaminates that may be present include chemical
weapons, heavy metals, asbestos, organic solvents and ordnance. It is also notable that Gruinard island in Scotland was the site of a biological warfare test by British military scientists from Porton Down in 1942, during the Second World War. Starting in 1986 a determined effort was made to decontaminate the island.

I believe it 's the MODs social and legal responsibility to identify contamination including radioactivity and the consequent
risks to man and the environment at these sites and proactively make this information available online. In fact there is a stautory duty in the Environmental Infomation Regulations that requires authorities to :-

"(a) progressively make the information available to the public by electronic means which are easily accessible; and(b) take reasonable steps to organize the information relevant to its functions with a view to the active and systematic dissemination to the public of the information."

The list below taken from the "Secret Scotland" website lists some of the RAF stations in Scotland. The list provides a good indication of the scale of the defence estate past and present.